Filing-case.



P. S. MILLIGE.

FILING DASH.

APPLICATION nun AUG. 17, 1911.

1,?5,369. Patented 0ct.14,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. S. MILLICE.

FILING CASE.

APPLICATION FILED KUG. 17, 1911. 1,975,369, Patented Oct. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETS-BHEET 2.

n I k I 2.9 e2 6 2% 0 11 If f ji/j. w H j a ifgwwygm 5i Zzv zzfiwm i -WWW Mw BA L M 1 HAMI 'QN, QH Q, A GNQB' T FI 30 FURNITURE A QNSTBUC IQN QMBANY, NEW YOR Yo A O P R ON Q W Y RK FILING-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1&7 5,3691.

Patent-ed Oct. 14, 1913.

Application filed August 17, 1911. Serial No. 644,707.

To all whom it may con cern Be it known that I, PAUL S. lvlnlmon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, in the county of Butler and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piling-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

, My invention relates to metal filing cases, and I have illustrated the same as applied to a card index filing case.

It is the object of my invention to provide a novel Construction of metal filing case whereby extreme rigidity is obtained and which is simple in constructionand in assembling. In its preferred embodiment. I form, the body of the case of two pieces which together embrace the top, rear, bottom, front and side walls so connected that the extreme rigidity is obtained.

Itis further the object of my invention to form the front of the case in novel manner, whereby the connecting bars at the front,

which form the spacing members between the openings for the drawers, are formed integral with the body of the case, and further to uti ize a portion of the metal (lisplaced in orming said front openings for providing shelf-supporting and drawer stopping means.

The invention Wlll be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter Figure 1 represents one of the body members, and Fig. 2 represents the other of the body members, these body members being shown in separated relation. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my improved device, partly broken away, showing the body members in partly assembled relation. Fig. 4:

is a front elevation of the blank, partly broken away, from which the body member shown in Fig. 2 is formed. Fig. 5 is a frontelevation of my improved filin case, showing one of the drawers in pos1tion and the others of the drawers removed. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same, partly broken away, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross-section of my improved device, taken on a line corresponding to the line 7-7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail in horizontal section 'on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6, showing the rear joints between the body members; and Fig. 9 is a detail in cross-section on the'line 99 of Fig. 5.

11 represents one of the body members, and 12 represents the other of the body members. In the form shown the body member 11 comprises the top 13, the bottom 14, and the rear wall 15 of the filing case, and the body member 12 comprises the side walls 16, 17 and the front wall 18 of the filing case. These respective walls of the filing case, comprised in said respective body members, are integral portions of said respective body members, for purposes hereinafter described.

The top and bottom wall portions of the body member 11, at the side thereof, have their edges bent preferably at right angles to the planes of said top and bottom. respectively for forming flanges 19, 20, which are projected toward each other, and the rear wall portion of said body member 11 has its lateral edges bent forward, preferably substantially at right angles to the plane of said rear wall, for forming flanges 21, which are in line with the respective flanges 19-, 20. The top and bottom wall portions of said body member 11 also have their front edges bent at substantial right angles to the planes of said top and bottom for forming flanges 22, 23, which project toward each other.

The front wall portion 18 of the body member12 has its upper and lower edges reversely bent upon itself, as shown at 26, 27, and the extreme edges thereof, are provided with return bends 28, 29 for forming oppositely opening grooves 30, 31 in which the flanges 22, 23 are respectively received when the case is assembled;

The side wall portions 16, 17 of the body member 12, at their upper and lower edges, are provided with reverse bends 32, 33, the extreme edges whereof are provided with return bends 34, 35, for formingoppositely opening grooves 36, 37, in which the opposed flanges 19, 20 are received when the case is assembled.

The rear ends of the side wall portions of the body member 12 are provided with reverse bends 38, 39, the extreme edges whereof are formed with return bends 40,

' constructed of a minimum number of parts,

the reverse bends forming one of the walls of the grooves in the body member 11, while the return bends form the other of the walls of said grooves, being closed upon the flanges of the body member 11 for rigidly clamping said flanges in said grooves- 51, 51 represent openings in the front wall portion of the filing case and are adapted to receive the drawers of the filing case, one of which is shown at 52, a suitable number of these openings being provided, depending upon the number of drawers the case is adapted to contain. I form these openings in the integral body member 12, in such manner that separating drawer-ribs shown at 53, 54 are formed between the openings integral with the body member, and thereby provide extreme rigidity and economical construction and avoid .the employment of separate pieces, and further avoid the formation of joints or seams in the front of the case, it having been found in practice that filing cases formed with separate bars between the drawer openings secured to the bodies will in shipment or after comparatively slight use show scams or breaks in the finish at the joints between the bars and the bodies irrespective of the methods of fastening employed. In my improved const-ruction I avoid the possibility of the formation of such scams or breaks by forming the parts integral. I prefer to accomplish this by forming the openings substantially as shown in Fig. 4, illustrating a blank, in which the openings are primarily formed as shown at 51 in such manner as to form lateral Wings 55, bottom wings 56 and top wings 57*, the adjacent wings having diagonal cuts 58 between them. The wings 55 are bent rearward for formingthe lateral flanges 55, the bottom wings 56 are bent rearwardly for forming the bot tom flanges 56, and the top wings are bent rearwardly as shown at 57 and then downwardly as shown at 59, thereby forming rabbets 60 for receiving the upper edges 61 of the drawers 52 for permitting the front of the drawers to be received within the front wall of thecase, when the drawer is closed, the drawer also being provided at its rear with an arch-piece 62 arranged to contact the rear-face of the upper flange when the drawer is pulled entirely forward. and thereby preventing accidental removal of the drawer, but permitting intentional removal of the drawer by tilting the drawer upwardly :at itsfront.

65, 65 are shelves.- At its forward edge each shelf is provided with a, reverse bend 66, the extreme edge whereof is provided with a return bend 67 for forming a groove 68 in which the bottom flange 56 of the walls of the drawer opening is received and clamped, the rear of the shelf being shown provided with an up-turned flange 69 suitably secured to the rear wall of the filing case, as by rivets 70. The side edges of the shelves are preferably bent upwardly for forming flanges 71 which serve to strengthen the shelves and provide channels in which the drawers may slide.

The flanges ofadjacent drawer openings form separating ribs between said openings which are integral with the body member in which they are formed. They also form crossing U-shaped channels in one of which a channel strip '72 may be received and act as a reinforcing strip, especially at the intersection of said ribs. The channel-strip preferably has lateral flanges 73 whose inner longitudinal ends approach each other, the lateral flanges 55 being formed preferably with their inner ends approacning each other for rigidly inclosing the reinforcing strip between them.

My improved construction permits the. filing case to be made of comparatively light sheet metal, providing a light case for handling as well as shipping. It forms a case in which all walls are flush with the corners, and provides an extremely rigid case which will not rack to pieces, and avoids the danger of the opening of jointsin shipping and in use of the same.

vHaving thus .fully described my invention what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A metal filing case built up of a pair of sheet-metal body-members, each of said body-members having an end and two sides integral with each other, oneof said bodymembers horizontally disposed and the other of said body-members vertically disposed, and locking means between the adjacent edges of said body-members.

2. In a metal filing case, a sheet-metal front-wall provided with drawer-openings having sheet-metal ribs therebetween, said ribs extending at right angles with relation 7 to each other and being integral with each other and being integral parts of said front wall, said ribs having sheet-metal flanges integral therewith extending rearwardly and forming walls of said openings.

3. In a metal filing case, a sheet-metal front wall provided with drawer-openings having sheet-metal ribs therebetween, said ribs extending at right angles to each other and being integral with each other and being integral parts of said front wall, said ribs'respectively having separated sheetmetal flanges integral therewith extending rearwardly and forming rearwardly opening channels which cross each other at the adjacent corners of adjacent openings, and a reinforcing strip located in one of said channels and across another of said channels which crosses said last-named one of said channels.

4:. A sheet-meta1 front for a filing case no'relerse .l tween aiigacent openings, and said sheetmetal and walls being integral portions of said she'et-metal front.

5. In a metal filing case, the combination of a body comprising a body-member having a drawer-opening formed therein, the bottom wall whereof is formed by an inwardly extending flange integral with said body-member, and a sheet-metal shelf having a drawer-supporting portion, the lateral edges of said shelf being upturned for forming flanges spaced fromsaid body and which form the sole support of said drawer-supporting portion of said shelf intermediate of the ends of said shelf, said drawer-supporting portion and said upturned lateral edges forming a drawer-receiving channel, thefront edge of said shelf provided with a reverse bend terminating in a return-bend forming a groove in which said inwardly extending flange is clamped, and means for securing the rear-of said shelf to said case 6. In a metal filing case, the combination of a pair of body members each comprising three of the walls of said case integral with each other, said body-members arranged at right angles to each other and having therehetween locking joints one of the members whereof is formed by a reverse bend of the edge of body member and a return bend oi the extreme end thereof for forming a groove the other member of which joint is formed by a flange formed up from the ther body member and received in said groove wherein it is locked for locking-said twomembers together.

lln testimony whereof, I have signed my name hereto, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL S. MILLICE.

Witnesses: 1

' GEO. G. KUHN,

JACOB A. HOLLANDER. 

